May 05, 2021
I love the ring! Can it stand up to daily wear?
The importance of longevity and wearability has always been at the forefront of my design process and I thought I would share a bit about considerations in balance in dream designs and durability.
I am someone who wears the crap out of my jewellery. I go to the beach and build sandcastles with my kids, metal smith, garden, I even got into the Covid trend- bread making for a while there. And although as a jeweller I know better, I still wear all my jewellery including my rings, for all the things all the time. I’m not saying to do this... if you remember to safely take off your rings before doing something rough with your hands, please do! They will thank you for it and will be much less subject to needing possible repairs down the road. But if you are going to forget once in a while... I get it. And I got you.
I find that many of my clients are as inspired by nature as I am. Many of my designs reflect nature, and I’m guessing that’s often why people find connection with it.... often people that are inspired by nature want to get out into nature, even with all our favourite jewellery on!
Things to consider when looking for a ring that you can forget is there and can be durable enough to wear daily:
-Stone settings on the top of the rings are best. Eternity rings are beautiful, but if you open a jar with your full eternity ring on, the metal around your diamond on the gripping end of the ring can move and... pop goes the diamond!
-Size of the ring band. The super thin delicate look is so pretty, but oh so fragile! I would say try to make sure you don’t go less than 2mm wide for a gold band (and not too flat) and a bit thicker for silver.
-Metal choice. Gold is much stronger and more durable than silver. 14k is kind of the sweet spot in my opinion for being able to hold onto texture and not wear down over time. 18k yellow and 19k white gold are other favourites of mine that are heirloom quality and stand up to wear beautifully. You don’t want an 18k yellow prong setting though, because it is strong, but malleable and you don’t want to loose your stone.
-Choose a strong stone. Diamonds, sapphires and moissanite are my go-to’s, but there are other choices aren’t quite as strong, but are better than others in terms of strength. For example, if you have an opal ring, please don’t wear it to garden or even clean the house... eeep!
-Style of stone setting. I feel like this one is kind of obvious but just in case- A thin prong setting wont protect your stone from scratches as well as a thicker one, or if the stone is surrounded in metal like a bezel or a flush setting.
I’m sure there are way more factors I’m not including here that I think about when making a ring, but hopefully some of these tips help you next time you are shopping for some everyday, all the time, go-to rings.
If you are wondering if a ring is right for you, never hesitate to reach out to the designer and ask some questions! Most of us love chatting about how the ring is made and considerations in caring for it.